Gilpin moore



(N Model.)

G. MOORE.

SPRING TooTH POR GULTIVATORS. No. 503,288. Patented Aug. 15, 1893.

.f j ,l y J Z f f Pili {@f f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GILPIN MOORE, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE DEERE d: COMPANY3 OF SAME PLACE.

SPRING-TOOTH FOR CULTIVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,288, dated August 15, 1893. Application filed June 10, 1892. Serial No. 436,259. (No inodcl.)

To @ZZ wir/om t may concern.'

Beit known thatl, GILPIN Moons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moline, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Teeth for Cultivators and other Agricultural Implements, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of the tooth, the pocket which holds the spring being in section. Fig. 2 is a similar View of a portion of the tooth, showing the position of the parts when the tooth strikes an obstruction; and Fig. 3 is a top View, with the supporting cross beam removed.

My invention relates to spring teeth adapted to be used upon cultivators or other similar farming implements. I-Ieretofore in the construction of spring teeth there have been two varieties: iirst, those in which the spring of the tooth is inherent in the tooth or shank itself and is due to its own elasticity; and second, those having a joint furnished with an adjustable spring lock, which permits tem porary movement under favoring ci reumstances. In the former, the tooth, when drawn through the soil to be cultivated, has a vibratory or tremulous motion, which greatly aids in pulverizing. In the latter, the spring lock holds the tooth rigidly to its position when drawn through the soil, until an obstruction is met with. Then the spring is unlocked, permitting the lowerpart of the shank to bend backward and pass the obstruction when the spring returns the shank to its original position and it proceeds rigidly as before in its pathway through the earth.

It is to be noticed that the function pen formed by each class of teeth is different. In the first, a vibratory pulverizing is eifected, which is entirely absent in the second class. In the second class, the character of the work done is exactly the same as has always been accomplished by the common form of rigid tooth implements, the spring lock simply being added as a safety device, to prevent bending or breaking the shank. It is evident that when a tooth of the first described class meets with an immovable obstacle unless the machine is stopped at once the tooth will be more or less straightened. If this straightening force is greater than the limit of elasticity of the tooth, the tooth will either be broken or permanently straightened, thereby destroying or impair-ing the utility of the implement. The usefulness therefore of both classes is limited, the first by the elasticity of the tooth and the second by its inability to perform vibratory pnlverizing.

No elastic tooth machine has heretofore been made with a safety device to prevent injury to the tooth when a solid obstruction is met, and no rigid tooth machine has yet appeared capable of doing the work of the elastic shank implements.

The principal object of my invention is to avoid the objections common to spring teeth as heretofore constructed, which Iaccomplish by providing a tooth having a rigid shank, which is given a spring action by the action of a separate spring. Another object of my invention is to improve in general the construction and operation of spring teeth. I accomplish these objects as hereinafter specitied and as illustrated in the drawings.

That which I regard as new will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings-ct indicates a spring tooth, which consists of a rigid shank D bent to a suitable shape, and carrying on its lower end a shovel c. The shovel c may be of any suitable pattern, and may be secured to the shank b in any desired manner, or be made integral therewith. The shank b is trunnioned near its upper end in a yoke CZ, by trunnions c, as best shown in Figs. l and 3, so as to swing in a vertical plane. The trunnions e are rigidly secured upon opposite sides of the shank h by rivets f, and are arranged so that they will fit closely upon the shank, as best shown in Fig. 3. At the inner end of the yoke d is rigidly secured a pocket g, which depends therefrom, as best shown in Figs. l and 2. The pocket g is of about the shape of a frustum of a cone, the smaller end being at the bottom; and thebottom is inclined, as shown.

c', indicates a coil spring,which is mounted in the pocket g. By constructing the pocket gin the shape of a frustum of a cone and inclining the bottom of the pocket, as described,

the spring will lie in an inclined position and next to the-inner Wall of the pocket, as 1.oest Shown in Figs. l and 2. The upper end may thereby be pressed away from the inner wall, for purposes which will appear hereinafter.

.7', indicates a plate, which rests upon the upper endY of the springt' and is held in place by meansof a bolt k which passes downward through the spring t and the bottom of the pocket g, and is secured in place by means of a washer Z and a key m, or in any other suitable manner. The platej is of about the size of the spring t', as shown in the drawings.

h, indicates a slot formed in the upper end' ofthe inner portion of the pocket g, for purposes which will appear hereinafter.

b', indicates a portion of the shank b-which extends from the point at which the shank is trunnioned, nearly to the other end of the yoke d, its length being such that it will project a short distance beyond the inner edge of the pocket g. The extension b is preferably formed integral with the main portion ef the shank ZJ, butit may consist of aseparate piece rigidly attached thereto. The arrangement is such that when the shovel c is lifted, the inner end of the extension b will move downward through the slot h, as indicated in Fig. 2. rlhe under side of the extension b is fitted at the end, to adapt it to bear squarely upon the plate j, and the upper portion of the end of the extension b is rounded, as shown in Figs. 1 andr2. r

i @will be moved backward, when the extension b will be thrown downward, compressing the spring i to the position shown in Fig. 2, when the extension b will be clear of the plate j and will move downward through the slot h, permitting the shovel c to be raised the necessary height to pass over the obstruction. When the obstruction has been passed and the cultivator beam is raised, the weight of the shovel blade c aids in throwing the forward endof the extension b in an upward direction into engagement with the spring pressed plate j, whereby the shovel c and the tooth a are returned to operative position by gravity which is very desirable and materially simplifies the machine. The upward movement of the extension b will be limited bythe beam fn, or by a suitable stop if the beam is omitted or elsewhere located. When the cultivator is in operation, the action of the spring i upon the extension b will give to the shovel a tremulous or vibratory m0- tion, which will greatly aid in pulverizing the earth, substantially as is the case with spring teeth in which the springiness is due to the inherent elasticity of the teeth. When the shank b and extension b are made integral with each other, as hereinbefore suggested, instead ofY providing two separate trunnions e, e, as shown in the drawings, a single pin passing through the shank and secured therein may be used, in which case the arms or bars of the yoke d may be brought nearer together than they are shown in Fig. 3. The rearward incline of the bottom of the pocket or i spring case g constantly tends to throw the upper end of the spring backward, so that when the forward extension of the tooth bar is brought up to position, the spring will pass under it and will remain under it without being jarred out of position.

One of the principal characteristics of my improvement is the employment of a spring, which will have all of the uses of a spring in giving the tooth a Vibratory action whenl in use, and in permitting the tooth bar to escape from the spring when under severe strain or pressure. Other means than the tilting bottom to the box or case g may be used for throwing the upper Vend of the spring. under the end of the bar EJ', such as a second spring, but the construction shown is that which I prefer.

That which I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l.. The combination with a pivoted tooth shank, of aspring normally acting upon saidYV shank to hold'it in anoperative position and to impart to it a tremulous motion when traversing the soil, said spring being adapted to be thrown out of operation under extraordinary backward pressure upon said shank, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a` pivoted tooth shank, of av stop acting normally to hold said shank in operative position and to be thrown out of operation to permit said shank to swing und er extraordinary backward pressure thereupon, said shank-and stop being adapted to return by the action of gravity into engagement with each other to bring said shank to its operative position after the pressure is removed, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a yoke or support, of a tooth shank 'b pivoted to the yoke orsupport and having the extension b in front of its pivot, and aspring trip located beneath the front end of the said extension for causing a tremulous motion of the tooth shank and'releasing the forward extension thereof under extraordinary back pressure on said tooth shank, substantially as described.l

4;. The combination with a pivoted. tooth shank, of a spring trip located under the forward end of said shank in front of the pivot thereof for'holdin g the shank normally in 0perative position, saidspring trip being moved out of engagement with the shank by extraordinary backpressure on said shank and the latter being returned by gravity to its normal position When the back pressure is removed, substantially as described.

5. The combination With a yoke and a rigid tooth shank pivotally mounted therein, and adapted to swing in a vertical plane, said shank having an extension Z1', of a spring stop under said extension for holding the tooth in operative position under normal pressure, said stop being adapted to be disengaged from said extension under extraordinary pressure to permit the tooth to swing freely, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the swinging shank b, having extension b', of devices for supporting said shank, and a spring t' under the end of the extension b', the upper end of said spring being inclined toward said extension,

fied.

GILPIN MOORE. Witnesses:

C. H. POPE, J. E. POOLE. 

